My dear brothers and sisters in the Lord,
Last week, the priests of the diocese gathered together in a convocation to discuss issues important to the life of the diocese. This recent convocation centered on vocations, especially to the priesthood and religious life including sisters and brothers.
The day prepared us for the dedication of the St. Joseph’s Co-Cathedral. Clearly we understood, during the day, that if the life of the Church which centers on the Eucharist, is to be continued, if we are to fill our churches not only with beauty but also with God’s people, we need ministers who make Christ present in the churches.
We heard from the Vocation Director from the Diocese of Detroit and a consultant from Vianney Vocations, an organization which strives to give effective strategies to increase priestly vocations. Both of the speakers gave real insight into the current situation. Coincidentally, and perhaps thanks to God’s grace, the Diocese of Brooklyn this year will ordain 13 men to the priesthood, which, by USCCB calculations, is the highest number in the country. It is not something we wish to brag about or be complacent about. As I told the priests at the convocation, next year, please God, we will have 12 more. But after that, our numbers begin to dwindle.
In my address to the priests, I stressed the program of Jesus Himself. It is the Lord who told us in the Scriptures that we must pray to the Lord of the Harvest to send laborers into the vineyard. There is nothing that can compare to intercessory prayer for vocations. I suggested to the Deans that I would make a formal request that they institute Eucharistic Adoration in one parish in their deanery. I will suggest taking one day, such as the first Thursday or Friday, and making it a Eucharistic Day for the Deanery by celebrating the Eucharist followed by Adoration, for at least 10 to 12 hours during the day. In some deaneries there already is perpetual or nearly perpetual adoration. It has been proven that dioceses where perpetual adoration is currently being propagated, there is an increase in priestly and religious vocations.
There are however, other important means that we must use to petition the Lord for priestly and religious vocations. One I can possibly suggest is a parish vocation committee, where key persons who have contact with young people and others who are willing to pray for vocations, gather together to identify young and not so young people who might have priestly or religious vocations. Today our priests do not work closely with young people as they did in the past. So, those who do have direct contact with our young people, such as school teachers, religious educators, sports coaches, youth ministers and many others need to identify and bring to their priests’ attention those young people who might exhibit the qualities for a priestly or religious vocation.
Several years ago, the diocese conducted research with St. John’s University. There were 1,400 respondents to a web-based survey that attempted to identify obstacles for young persons to respond to priestly or religious vocations. It was a 30-question survey. The variable that evolved as having the highest value was one question to which the respondents answered, “No one ever asked us.” The call to priestly and religious vocations can only be given by the Lord Himself. However, we must be the instruments in evoking a response from within the soul and psyche of young people. They must be asked to consider a priestly or religious vocation.
We have put forth an ambitious plan for expanding the work of the Vocation Office in the Diocese. I refer you to the chart that accompanies this article, where you see the role of the Vocation Director who maintains regular contact with the Vicar for Clergy who is responsible for this office. The Vocations Director, Father James Rodriguez, will have other responsibilities namely, serving on the faculty of Cathedral Prep and Seminary and working toward a Master’s Degree in Counseling from St. John’s University. His practical responsibilities will be Sunday parish visitations where he will preach on vocations; monitoring the monthly Discernment Holy Hours and the quarterly Project Andrew evenings of prayer where I invite young men to consider priestly/religious vocations. Father Rodriguez will also be responsible for preparing candidates for the Seminary Admissions Board where he will receive the assistance of the Vocational Representatives of Brooklyn and Queens, two veteran and former Vocation Directors, Father Kevin Abels and Father Kevin Sweeney. The Vocation Representatives will help to coordinate the Regional Directors; assist the local parishes in screening potential candidates; and make recommendations to the Vocation Director. The next level of support to this vocation effort is the Regional Director of Vocations whose responsibilities will include animating parish vocations committees and, on occasion, accompanying Bishops on high school visits. At the same time, we will continue to maintain the House of Discernment, which has been a fruitful source of entrance to the seminary system. Father James King will share his time between being Spiritual Director at the Douglaston Seminary of the Immaculate Conception and Director of the House of Discernment. The Director of the House Discernment will meet with the candidates and monitor their progress and spiritual growth.
Not to be forgotten is the Religious Council consisting of Sisters and male Religious who will assist us on our visits to schools and religious education programs. In addition, they will be responsible to plan a major discernment event each year with potential candidates for Religious Life. The Assistant to the Vocations Director, Lisa Amore, who for many years has been the fulcrum of so much of our work, will continue to assist not only the Director of Vocations but also the Vocation Representatives in fielding calls and assuring that anyone who has made inquiry regarding a possible vocation will be responded to immediately.
The work of vocations certainly cannot be done even by the team that we have assembled. Seeking vocations is truly an exercise in putting out into the deep. It is the Lord who calls, but it is we who must facilitate the response to the call. This is a task for all Catholics, not just the members of Vocation Committees, but everyone who can pray that we all have sufficient priests and men and women religious to continue the saving work of Christ in the world. Please pray for the success of this new plan that we have implemented so that our Diocese will continue to provide the ministers necessary for the New Evangelization.
My dear brothers and sisters in the Lord,
Last week, the priests of the diocese gathered together in a convocation to discuss issues important to the life of the diocese. This recent convocation centered on vocations, especially to the priesthood and religious life including sisters and brothers.
The day prepared us for the dedication of the St. Joseph’s Co-Cathedral. Clearly we understood, during the day, that if the life of the Church which centers on the Eucharist, is to be continued, if we are to fill our churches not only with beauty but also with God’s people, we need ministers who make Christ present in the churches.
A very ambitious plan, indeed. But it must be done!